Riksbyggen and BBDO Nordics Build Sweden's Smallest Apartments to Highlight Housing Crisis

To highlight the housing crisis faced by young individuals, Swedish developer Riksbyggen teamed up with creative agency BBDO Nordics to create three micro apartments. The tiniest unit, at a mere 1.9 square metres, reflects what a typical 25-year-old with average earnings and savings can afford in Stockholm. The other two apartments measure 3.1 square metres for Gothenburg and 4.5 square metres for Umeå. These dimensions were derived from Riksbyggen's square metre index, which incorporates income, property prices, and mortgage conditions, utilizing data from Statistics Sweden (SCB) and digital bank Avanza. The initiative aims to shed light on the harsh reality of housing affordability, as one in five young Swedes still resides with their parents. Each apartment showcases distinct Swedish architectural styles, including a turn-of-the-century design with a 'Stockholm yellow' facade, a 1930s/40s functionalist design, and a modern housing representation. BBDO Nordics art director Anton Bolin worked alongside Bengt Svedlund from Dekormakarna to construct the flats. The project was unveiled prior to Sweden's general election in September 2026, aiming to elevate housing issues on the political agenda. Sweden's housing minister, Andreas Carlsson, experienced one of the units firsthand, with photography by Jörgen Brennicke from Rockson.